The Condition of Minnesota's Groundwater, 2007-2011
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The Condition of Minnesota’s Groundwater, 2007 - 2011 August 2013 Authors Sharon Kroening Mark Ferrey The MPCA is reducing printing and mailing costs by Acknowledgements using the Internet to distribute reports and information to wider audience. Visit our website for The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency thanks the more information. following individuals for their reviews of this report. MPCA reports are printed on 100% post-consumer Byron Adams, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recycled content paper manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Dr. Melinda Erickson, US Geological Survey John Hines, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Brennon Schaefer, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Andrew Streitz, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Bill VanRyswyk, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Dave Wall, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency also thanks the following for the long hours of sampling required for this study: David Duffey, Gerald Flom, Mark Lunda, Meghan McGinn, and Sophia Vaughan Project dollars provided by the Clean Water Fund (from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment). Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road North | Saint Paul, MN 55155-4194 | www.pca.state.mn.us | 651-296-6300 Toll free 800-657-3864 | TTY 651-282-5332 This report is available in alternative formats upon request, and online at www.pca.state.mn.us . Document number: wq-am1-06 Contents Contents .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Executive summary .............................................................................................................................. 1 Background....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Summarized finding for specific types of pollutants ........................................................................................ 1 Key results ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Purpose and scope ............................................................................................................................... 4 Minnesota’s aquifers ........................................................................................................................... 5 Minnesota’s environmental setting ...................................................................................................... 9 Climate ............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Land use and land cover ................................................................................................................................... 9 Population and groundwater use ..................................................................................................................... 9 Minnesota’s ambient groundwater monitoring approach .................................................................. 10 MPCA’s Network Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Network ..................................................................... 10 Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Network ......................................................................................... 11 Southeastern Minnesota Volunteer Nitrate Monitoring Network ................................................................ 11 Data compilation and analysis methods ............................................................................................. 12 Minnesota’s groundwater elevations ................................................................................................. 14 Minnesota’s groundwater quality ............................................................. 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Nitrogen ............................................................................................................................................ 15 Sources and fate of nitrogen in groundwater ................................................................................................ 16 Nitrogen forms in Minnesota’s groundwater ................................................................................................ 16 Natural distribution of nitrate in the state’s aquifers .................................................................................... 17 Geographic distribution of nitrate in the state’s aquifers .............................................................................. 17 Effect of land use on nitrate concentrations .................................................................................................. 20 Temporal trends in nitrate concentrations .................................................................................................... 21 Phosphorus ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Sources and fate of phosphorus in groundwater ........................................................................................... 23 Occurrence and distribution of phosphorus in the state’s aquifers .............................................................. 24 Effect of land use on phosphorus concentrations in groundwater ................................................................ 26 Natural factors affecting phosphorus concentrations in groundwater ......................................................... 26 Chloride ............................................................................................................................................. 27 Sources and fate of chloride in groundwater ................................................................................................. 27 Natural distribution of chloride in the state’s aquifers .................................................................................. 27 Geographic distribution of chloride contamination in the state’s aquifers ................................................... 28 Chloride sources ............................................................................................................................................. 31 Temporal trends ............................................................................................................................................. 33 Sulfate ............................................................................................................................................... 36 Sources and fate of sulfate in the groundwater............................................................................................. 37 Geographic distribution of sulfate in the state’s aquifers .............................................................................. 37 Effect of land use on sulfate concentrations in groundwater ........................................................................ 39 Trace elements .................................................................................................................................. 40 Arsenic ............................................................................................................................................................ 40 Iron and manganese ....................................................................................................................................... 42 Volatile organic compounds ............................................................................................................... 46 Sources and fate of VOCs in groundwater ..................................................................................................... 46 Occurrence and distribution of VOCs in groundwater ................................................................................... 47 Detection frequency of VOCs ......................................................................................................................... 49 Concentrations of VOCs in groundwater ....................................................................................................... 51 VOCs in drinking water wells .......................................................................................................................... 51 Contaminants of emerging concern .................................................................................................... 51 References ......................................................................................................................................... 55 Tables Table 1. Median nitrate concentrations in the sand and gravel aquifers in Minnesota by land use .......................... 21 Table 2. Draft phosphorus criteria set for streams in Minnesota and the percentage of wells with concentrations that exceeded these criteria, 2008-2011 ...................................................................................................... 26 Table 3. Volatile organic compounds analyzed in water samples collected for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Network, 2007-2011 .............................................................